A survivor of the devastating Summerland fire on the Isle of Man which killed 50 people, including 15 from Merseyside and Cheshire, has made an emotional appeal for the three Liverpool friends who unintentionally started the blaze to get in touch with her.

Ruth McQuillan-Wilson, 48, was five at the time of the disaster and suffered terrible scarring to the backs of her legs and hands.

She was caught up in the disaster at the huge leisure complex in Douglas on Thursday August 2, 1973 with her then two-year-old sister, Lynda, and parents, Sam and Muriel.

Summerland fire survivor Ruth McQuillan-Wilson today

The married mother-of-five and grandmother of two, who also has two step-sons and a step-granddaughter, is writing a book about her ordeal. She hopes it will finally help her come to terms with the fire and its traumatic aftermath.

As part of this process, Ruth has written a letter – a direct appeal to the boys from Liverpool who will now be in their mid to late 50s – and hopes its publication by the ECHO will lead to her getting their version of events.

On September 17, 1973, three Liverpool boys – two of them 12 and the other 14 – appeared before Douglas Juvenile Court and admitted wilfully and unlawfully damaging the lock of a plastic kiosk next to Summerland. They were each fined £3 and ordered to pay 33p compensation and 15p costs.

The court heard the boys unintentionally started a blaze in the kiosk after breaking in to smoke a cigarette. One of the boys told police: “We tried to stamp it out, but it got too hot and dangerous.”

They then ran away.

The morning after the night before. Holidaymakers view the devastation following a fire in the Summerland entertainment complex in Douglas on the Isle of Man, August 2,1973

Ruth, who is from County Down, Northern Ireland, told the ECHO: “I need to speak to the ‘boys’ to hear their story. I know their names and where they lived in Liverpool at the time of the disaster, but that is the only information I have.

“Ideally, I would like to speak to them face to face, but an email would suffice for now.”

About 3,000 holidaymakers had been inside Summerland shortly before 8pm on that terrible night it became a blazing inferno.

Nine of the 50 people who died were children, while 80 people were injured. It was the biggest death toll in a fire in peacetime since 1929, and Summerland had only opened in May 1971.

A public inquiry opened on November 18, 1973 under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Joseph Cantley, and its report was published on May 24, 1974.

It returned a verdict of death by misadventure and found that there were “no villains” – just human beings who made mistakes.

The report made a series of recommendations, after saying the design of Summerland meant it was “vulnerable to the spread of fire.”

Devastation following the fire in the Summerland entertainment complex in Douglas on the Isle of Man, August 2, 1973

Ruth adds: “The fire destroyed my life. I’m trying to come to terms with things – even now, after all these years. My decision to write a book about my experience has had both a positive and negative effect on me, but it needs to be done.

“I’ve always wanted to speak to the three ‘boys’. I need to. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I even knew their names. I wonder what paths their lives took after the fire, or if they have been living under the huge black cloud that I have.

“I need to look into the eyes of those responsible. I need to see what is reflected there, then and only then I might be able to move on.

“My journey from Summerland, until now, has been a lonely one. At home the fire was rarely mentioned, I’ve had to find everything out myself; there was no help, no counselling. I tried to hide my scars from everyone, I was ashamed of the way I was.

“Recently, I watched a programme about Dunblane, and a young lady said that she didn’t want to hide her scars, they were her story – and it struck a chord. My scars are my story, I shouldn’t be hiding them. Everything I am today is because of those scars – because of what happened in Summerland.

“I was ‘Made in Summerland’, and that’s the title of my book.”

Ruth’s letter to the Liverpool ‘boys’ who caused the fire at Summerland

Dear boys – though you will now be men in your 50s,

Is the 2nd of August 1973 etched indelibly on your minds, as it is mine? Do you wake in the early hours, to the vision of Summerland burning – as I do? Do you hear the screams of the people trapped inside? Do you hear my screams?

My name is Ruth. I went to the Isle of Man on holiday in 1973, with my parents and two-year-old sister, Lynda. Arrangements were made for us all to meet at Summerland in the evening – probably because of the bad weather. I was only five-years-old and filled with excitement. I didn’t know it would be the last day when I could be truly happy.

Summerland fire survivor Ruth McQuillan-Wilson: "This was taken in the summer term, just before the fire. I remember the excitement of getting my Tufty Club badge. I had no idea what was ahead just a few months later."

Summerland was incredible – we’d never seen anything like it. Dad took us to the top floor first, via the flying staircase – it was there that he spotted smoke coming from a ventilator. He decided to ignore the announcement made from the stage a few moments later – the compere was telling people not to panic, that it was only a chip pan fire.

With dad leading we made our way back down. As we neared the lower levels we were met by a wall of flames travelling towards us at incredible speed. Dad grabbed my sister and was able to escape – but there were just seconds in it, and his coat melted.

The flames drove the rest of us back. Mum and I were caught up in the panic. We ran through the flames – there was no other choice. The stairs had open treads and we felt searing pain as our legs were burned. We escaped by climbing over railings and onto a kiosk.

Through the smoke, mum saw a broken pane and had to climb over a body to reach up. A fireman walked by – who wasn’t expecting anyone else to come out alive from where we were. He heard mum’s weak cries and pulled us out.

Summerland fire survivor Ruth McQuillan-Wilson: "This was taken when I eventually returned to school. I missed nearly all of my second year because of my injuries."

I suffered horrible disfiguring burns to the backs of my legs and hands. I endured several operations to have skin taken from my stomach and back for grafting. My childhood was taken up with hospital visits. I was called the most horrible names and rejected by other children. My life seemed to be full of things I couldn’t do.

One day, when I was on the verge of a breakdown, I realised there was something I COULD do. I could find out exactly what happened – why Summerland burned down.

I discovered that three Liverpool schoolboys started a fire in a disused kiosk. I read the names of the three boys – your names and where you were from. I read that you admitted wilfully and unlawfully damaging the lock of a plastic kiosk. Were you smoking or just playing around with matches? I know you ran away when the fire started. I understand how frightened you must have been – terrified – when you realised the enormity of what had happened. It must have been terrible, waiting to be discovered.

I can never put what happened behind me. My injuries remind me every second of every day. I’m plagued with guilt. I feel guilty that I lived when so many died.

I’ve found that speaking to people about the fire has eased my burden a little. I’m writing a book about my ordeal. I’ve chosen the title Made In Summerland as everything I am is because of what happened there. Did Summerland make you the men you are today? Are you plagued with guilt, too?

I’m not angry any more. I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you. You couldn’t have known that small fire in a kiosk outside the building would result in such tragedy. I just want a chance to speak to you. I need to hear YOUR story. It’s time.

Ruth

Ruth McQuillan-Wilson can be contacted by email at ruthmcquillan-wilson@outlook.com